Shogun Palace — Restaurant in Bakersfield

When we walked in we were greeted and since our whole party was not present yet, we were asked to wait at either of the 2 large tables. They had just opened so I wasn't sure why they were sticky. The smell was off-putting. It smelled like old, dirty oil. There were several cardboard boxes from beer stacked in the corner and looked very messy. We had a 1 year old baby with us and they put her on the corner furthest from the grill (for safety). The highchair was a typical one in most restaurants that you scoot to the table, however, the table around the grill is elevated. It was nearly impossible for her to use the table and later ended up smacking her forehead on the corner giving her a nice lump and lots of tears. Once we were seated around the grill, we were given sticky menus that also had dirty pages. The table and chairs were both sticky. The chairs were very uncomfortable and very hard to scoot to the table because they are high up (I'm 5'5" by the way). Once we ordered the chef was entertaining, fun and engaging. The food tasted good, but wasn't something to make me want to come back. The waiter forgot items and had to keep coming back, but did check on us a couple times. He asked how many of us would like a spoon for the soup and most everyone, said yes. He came back with only 4 or 5 and there were about 11 people sitting there. So he had to go get more. My daughter asked for 2 to-go cups of water and a refill on her soda. The waiter came back with 2 empty plastic cups with lids and straws already in them and no water. When he went around the table asking who needed a plastic bag for their take-out containers, again he came back with half of what was needed. We had to ask twice for a soup container and when he brought it, it was so small. My wife ordered the mushroom soup, but didn't realize they bring you soup and salad with your meal so she had most of it left. When we asked for another container because there was no way it was going to fit, he said it will fit. I asked again for another container for it and he tells us the bowl is smaller on the bottom. I asked again if we could just have another container and he finally brought it. Sure enough, it took 2 containers. It seems like this place is unwilling to give you anything more or maybe just doesn't have enough supplies. I don't think we will be coming back here again. There a few other similar restraunts in town that I would...

Completely disappointed. Got there when they opened at 5pm and the hibachi station didn't seem overly clean. The counter is glass panels with gaps where there was plenty of food that fall in between making it impossible to clean without disassembly. The whole place had a kind of dingy and feel. My wife ordered gyoza and it was inedible by being overcooked, dry and so crunchy that there was a risk of damaging your gums on the hard wrap. The chef did his normal quick tricks but didn't count on on his salt shaker getting stuck in the vent hood so no salt was added for the rest of the meal (which was a good thing because there is plenty of salt in the sauces). While doing tricks the chef let the egg for the fried rice to become burnt but still used it in the rice. The vent hood fan must be very weak because we were getting steam and cooking vapors in our face on a regular basis. The fire display was a little much with the temps outside of 100+, that extra heat wasn't necessary since the room was already excessively warm. I had filet and scallops and the raw filet looked like nothing I have ever seen before, it was the color of a dark eggplant, a very dark purple grey (very unappetizing looking for sure!!). I ordered medium rare plus. It was inedible because it was chewy with a very odd rubbery texture (I noticed the chef struggle to cut it into chunks). I told the waitress and she said they would make a new one in back. That one was not much better and the chunks were completely raw with just the slightest sear on the outside and the raw inside had that same strange eggplant color. While I waited for my replacement steak my wife went to the car to escape the heat inside the building. I took a couple of bites of the steak and it just didn't have a pleasant flavor. I didn't have it in me to complain a third time. One cocktail, one appetizer and two entrees were $105. Outrageous. I will need to know there have been MAJOR changes and improvements before I ever consider going again. The only thing going for that meal was our waitress and chef were...

Don’t let the weird random kitchen tables and (potentially) very loud interior scare you off. The food was incredible for the price point. Very talented sushi chef, creative food - though their menu/presentation/execution needs some work. Their non-hibachi/teppanyaki dinners were great, not sure why they don’t put a bunch of booths and better tables in. We sat at the bar on a Monday night and it got a tad rowdy behind us/big groups/crying babies - though I am a tad sensitive to this. Bartender was attentive but overwhelmed with the to go orders (which I’m glad they’re so busy!) Food was delish. For 3 people to eat and drink well I thought was very reasonable, about $40-$50 per person with tip. Fish was fresh, sushi presented nicely, everything was the proper temperature when served and tasty. If the owner of this place took a hard look at some things and gave it a little bit of polish/love and some more/better seating for the non-hibachi customers, this place could be a gem. Also seems like maybe giving the sushi counter a small countertop fryer would help with the flow in the kitchen. Aside from some frayed ends/things that could be polished up, this restaurant exceeded my expectations. And this is coming from an experienced restaurant owner and chef with Michelin...